Mass Schedule

Weekend Mass
Saturday    4:00pm
Sunday    10:00am

Weekday Mass
Wednesday   8:00am
Thursday       8:00am

Reconciliation
Saturday   3:00pm

Dear Brother and Sisters,

Most Christian churches make the claim that you can find the Lord here, but there is one very important church that makes the opposite claim, “He is not here.” This is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, located in Jerusalem over the site of the Crucifixion and tomb of our Lord Jesus.

Even to this day, pilgrims to this church can enter the tomb and see that it is empty. There are gold letters above the slab where His body was buried that proudly proclaim, “He is risen; He is not here” (Mark 16:6).

These were the words that the angel addressed to the women who were coming to the tomb to anoint the Lord’s body. They were expecting to find the body of the Lord in the place where He was buried. These women were among the few of our Lord’s loyal followers who remained with Him, even to the foot of the Cross. They knew which tomb to go to, for they witnessed His burial (see Mark 15:40-41 and Mark 15:47).

They were the first witnesses to the Lord’s Resurrection. They were the first to rejoice in the great news that Christ has conquered death.

It is natural to question, where were the other disciples? The Gospel of Luke tells us two of them were fleeing Jerusalem, and the Gospel of John tells us that the others were hiding in the upper room. Fear kept them from going to the Lord’s tomb. Fear kept them from hearing the Good News of the Resurrection. But even if they, somehow, overcame their fear, they would not have been able to find the tomb. They were not at the foot of the Cross, and they did not witness where the Lord was buried. So, they would not have known where to find Him.

We see that there is a connection between the Cross and the Resurrection. Those who followed the Lord, even to the foot of the Cross, are the first to receive the Good News of the Resurrection. They were the first to see that the tomb was empty. This is an important lesson for us. Those who embrace the crosses of their lives, often experience the greater joy at Easter. If we run from the crosses that life brings our way, we are also running away from our share in the Resurrection.

The celebration of Easter is that joyful confidence, and bold proclamation, that God transforms the darkness of Good Friday into the light of Easter morning. It is the steady belief that God transforms the darkness of our sorrows into the joy that the world cannot take away.

Jesus us Risen!
Blessings,
Father Bill